Sadness unspoken by the Marie Stopes ads

Whatever Marie Stopes says, we should never be led to believe that abortion is
simply a minor surgical procedure, says Jenny McCartney

Marie Stopes International defended its forthcoming advertisements on Channel 4 for abortion services – the first such campaign on British television – on the grounds that it wanted to encourage people to speak more openly about the issue.

I know that we live in a confessional era, in which secrets are regarded as poisonous and discussing every aspect of one's private life as psychologically healthy, but does it necessarily benefit women to "speak openly" about their abortions? It simply seems likely to heighten the ferocity of the debate around what is already a painful topic.

The reason for the silence is that, for a majority of women, the decision to have an abortion is taken with unhappiness. It is regarded by all but the most unthinking not as an easy choice, but as the least worst option in difficult circumstances.

I believe in the right of a woman to have an abortion, although the legal limit should move below 24 weeks, at which a significant number of babies are now viable. But we should never be led to believe that it is simply a minor surgical procedure. If there is to be an open discussion of anything, perhaps it should focus on the generally overlooked truths that contraception frequently fails, that sex is still often likely to result in pregnancy, and that abortion – despite the blithe talk of getting a problem "sorted out" – can bring a great deal of unresolved sadness.